Improvement in jointed braces for vehicle-springs



. W. J. RAWL'INGS. Jointed Brace for Vehicle-Springs.

- I No; 204,843. Patented June 11, 1878.

. C INEaS SESI I 2' ym WWW M ATTORNEY N.PETERS, PHDTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASH NGTON D C UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

WILLIAM J. RAWLINGS, OF OTTAWA, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, FRANK BRINKMAN, AND ANDREW BRINKMAN, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN JOINTED BRACES FOR VEHICLE-SPRINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 204, 843, dated June 11, 1878 application filed April 6, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. RAWLINGS, of Ottawa, in the county of Putnam and State of Ohio, have invented a new and valuable Improvement in Lever-Oouplin gs for Carriages, Buggies, and Spring-Wagons; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,

. clear, and exact description of the construc tion and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a representation of a side view of a vehicle with my coupling applied, and Fig. 2 is a representation of detached parts. Fig-3 is a bottom view of this invention, and Fig. 4 a transverse section of the same.

This invention has relation to improvements in couplings for four-wheeled springvehicles; and it consists in the construction and novel arrangement of the fifth-wheel bearing and its jointed arm connected to a bracket under the body, as hereinafter shown and described.

In the annexed drawings, the letter A designates a vehicle-body supported upon C- springs in rear, and in front upon the spring D, of elliptical form. The spring D is rigidly secured above to the fore bar and below to the head-block H, which is seated on and rigidly secured to a T-iron, b, whereof the transverse bar ]a extends under said headblock and forms a bearing therefor, being convex on its upper surface from end to end for convenience in leveling and to obviate undue lateral strain on the securing-bolts. The longitudinal arm 71 of the T-iron extends to the rear, as shown, and the upper section or hearing 0 of the fifth wheel 0 is firmly bolted thereto, and to the ends of the transverse portion It, the whole being connected to the fifthwheel section below and to the axle by the king-bolt. The end of the arm 4; is extended to the rear beyond the fifth-wheel section a,

to form a bearing for the front end of the joint-brace or coupling-loar J, which is pivoted thereto. On the under side of the body A is a post or bracket, 0, rigidly secured thereto and connected to the other end of the couplin g-bar J by means of a pivot through its forked branches, this coupling-bar thus serving to connect the bracket and T-iron on the fifth-wheel section.

The coupling-bar J vibrates freely with reference to the bracket and couples the spring to the body. It relieves the spring of all the strain of the draft, thereby preventing it from being drawn out from under the body or torn loose therefrom. The spring yields or flexes, however, with great readiness, owing to the flexing of the coupling-bar J, and enables me to dispense with the usual reach, which interferes with the wheel in making short turns.

In practice, the rear spring may be attached to the body by a like coupling device, one end of which will be pivoted to an arm projecting to the front of the rear axle and the other to a post or bracket resembling in all respects the bracket 0. V

I am aware that a joint-brace has been pivoted to the axle, or to a clip on the axle, 0011- necting the same with a bracket on the body. Hence I do not broadly claim the joint-brace.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a spring-vehicle, the combination, with the fifth-wheel section 0 and the T-iron b bolted thereto and supporting the head-bl0ck H, of the bracket 0 and the coupling-brace J, jointed to said bracket and to the rear extension of the arm 4. of said T-iron, as specified.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM JOSHUA RAWLINGS.

Witnesses:

DAVID McCURDY, RALPH PUGH. 

